


Six Feet Under

by Ka5hew



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Season/Series 02, Vomiting, kind of, no beta we die like men, theyre not really dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24716152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ka5hew/pseuds/Ka5hew
Summary: Matt wakes up in a world where no one seems to know who he is, except the punisher. the two decide to work together to fix the universe.DISCONTINUED
Relationships: Frank Castle & David "Micro" Lieberman, Frank Castle & Matt Murdock, Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Comments: 14
Kudos: 86





	1. Friday

**Author's Note:**

> TW for vomiting and panic attacks in this chapter. don't like, don't read.

Friday.

6:27 am

He shuffled beneath the silk sheets as his mind slowly came back into the land of the living. He hadn’t died, but lately all sleep felt like death; dark, dreamless and empty. He didn’t open his eyes immediately, instead choosing to lay in his bed, taking in the pain from his sore muscles.

6:30 am

The alarm went off. It blared like a siren, too loud, too early. He needed more sleep, but that wasn’t really an option. Slamming the alarm clock, the incessant blaring stopped as a cold, monotonous voice called out the time. He sat up and dizziness overcame him for a moment before the pain came crashing down. Either he had been hit over the head last night, or he just had a _bad_ hangover. Matt knew which was the more likely answer.

6:41 am

The water in the shower was hotter than normal, but that just helped him forget about his aching body. The headache was still there when he got out of the shower and dried himself. Stepping back into his bedroom, he grabbed his clothes out of his closet, feeling the braille label on the hanger to make sure he picked up the right suit. As he got changed, he tried to recall the events of the last night. It was a useless attempt.

7:00 am

The walk to the office didn’t take long, except something was different today; far less people outside. It was too quiet for Hell’s Kitchen. Matt would have been suspicious If he hadn’t been preoccupied by the throbbing in his head. Headaches were a b*tch. They always messed with Matt’s senses, making them too intense or fuzzy, or both at the same time. It was like living inside a glass box with the whole world screaming at him from outside.

He was greeted with the smell of Karen’s (frankly terrible) coffee as he reached the office. The smell was one he learned to ignore over time, but it was comforting in a familiar way. Once he got inside the office, Matt’s thoughts went to their cases. They had quite a few this week. Whilst it was nice to be getting more people in their firm, it was tiring work, especially alongside his vigilante work. Matt made his way into his office, but instead of finding his desk piled with casework, he found Foggy sitting in his chair instead.

“Uh... Foggy, what are you doing in my chair?” his voice sounded croaky from lack of use, but Matt ignored it.

“What? Sorry, this is my office, Franklin Nelson, you know?” foggy replied, “Are you the new client?”

 _That_ was weird.

“What? Foggy, is this some kind of prank? Did Karen set you up to this?”

“Okay this is not a prank… are you sure you’re in the right place? This is Nelson and Page’s, Attorneys at Law,”

Matt froze. Nelson and _Page’s?_ This _had_ to be a prank, or a dream. But Matt hadn’t dreamt since… since Elektra died.

“Sir? Are you okay?”

_Sir?!_

He needed to get out, this was not right; it wasn’t _real_ – was it? He could hear his own heart pulsing loudly in his ears as Foggy’s voice blurred into the background. He needed to get out.

Fumbling with his case, he hurriedly left the office, Foggy’s calls of concern lost in the sea of sounds as he exited onto the street. He was almost running, cane swishing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until he picked it up and ran the rest of the way home. Through the door, up the stairs, into his apartment.

He needed to breathe. This couldn’t be real. How could Foggy not recognise him, not _know_ him?! Something was wrong. _He need to breathe he needed to breath he needed to breathe._

Picking up the phone, Matt checked the date.

Friday.

Except it couldn’t be – yesterday was _Wednesday_. Matt thought back… yesterday, he went to work, they worked on a case, and then Karen bought bagels, because it was Wednesday, and they always bought bagels on Wednesday. Then he had gone home, went out as the devil, and beaten up some guys. Wednesday. Then he had gone to sleep and then he had woken up and then…

And then he had woken up again, with an aching body and a headache, and a Foggy who had no idea who he was.

He had forgotten a _whole_ day, how was that possible? Was it amnesia? Had he been drugged? Something had happened, something was wrong, and Matt was going to find out what.

8:55 am

His contacts were empty. His briefcase was empty. His laptop was _empty_. There was _nothing_. Matt had gone from determined and desperate to slightly drunk and tired. He had spent the last hour scouring yesterday’s news for something, _anything_ that might be useful, but he found nothing. Maybe he was looking for the wrong thing…

Matt opened up another tab and started searching:

D a r e d e v i l

Nothing.

There was _nothing_ on the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, nothing about a man fighting crime in a mask, nothing about him stopping Fisk or the hand. _Nothing_.

He tried again:

W i l s o n F i s k

This time, there was lots. Fisk’s childhood, Fisk running for mayor. Fisk _becoming_ mayor.

Matt had to stop. This wasn’t right, it couldn’t be. He could feel the bile building up in the back of his throat as he clicked on one of the articles. He ran his fingers over the braille reader but he his brain couldn’t comprehend it all, too busy overflowing with information. All he understood was that Fisk became mayor two years ago. The city had been suffering for _two f*cking years._ The words Nelson and Page came up. Matt made another search.

Nelson and page – Franklin Nelson and Karen Page. They had been involved in a court case against Fisk but had lost.

Nelson and Page. No Murdock. It was like he had never existed. The wave of dizziness returned and alongside it nausea. He had to try one more thing:

M a t t M u r d o c k

One article. It was a short one. A small story about Jack Murdock and his son. His son who, at the age of nine, had pushed a man out of the way of a truck. A truck carrying chemicals. A truck, which had killed him.

Vomit splattered onto the floor as he heaved. He was _dead_. He had _died_. He needed fresh air. Scrambling up and out of the roof top entrance, Matt sat down on the roof, desperately trying to take in air. It was late September so the breeze was cold and brisk against his skin; Matt welcomed it.

His thoughts were busy racing, clashing, exploding in his mind. Chaos. Confusion. Matt took in a deep breath, trying to ignore the mantra of “this can’t be real” playing in his head. Because it felt real, and so it probably was. He had fought _ninjas_ ; he should be able to handle this.

Suddenly, he heard a clatter come from his kitchen, and he heard the strong, but fast, heartbeat. The fears and worries were kicked to the back of his mind as his instincts took over. Creeping back inside, he heard the figure swear as he dropped something and glass shattered over the floor. As the man took a step back, Matt lunged forward and tackled him to the ground.

He heard the shards of glass dig into the man’s back as he hit the floor, but the surprise that had overtaken the stranger did not last long. Suddenly, he was flipped over, glass cutting into his own back, arms and legs pinned down. Matt struggled against the hold for a second before the smell hit him. It was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place it until the man spoke up.

“Jesus, Red, calm down.”

Frank Castle.

9:17 am

He had only been awake for three hours but already the day felt unbelievably long. And now, he was sat at the table whilst Frank Castle removed shards of glass from his back, calling him ‘Red’ and treating him like nothing was wrong, whilst the rest of the world barley knew him.

Matt was hardly listening to what Frank was saying; he was still trying to take in the fact that he _knew_ him.

“Red? You listening?”

“What?”

“I said the world thinks you’re dead.” He said, taking out the final shard and putting down the tweezers before going to sit down across from Matt. 

“Yeah, I _know_ ,” Matt got up from his chair in frustration and walked over to the kitchen. “Coffee?” he asked Frank, grabbing a mug.

“Black.”

Matt got to work making the coffee, hoping that the familiar motions would help him forget about the unfamiliarity of everything else. But of Couse Frank had to being him back to reality, if this even _was_ reality, there was still a chance that this was some weird fever dream.

“The hell is going on, Red? I wake up and suddenly you died like 20 years ago.”  
Matt sighed.

“I don’t know Frank. I woke up and for some reason no one knew who I was, Foggy and Karen they... and the I find out I died and Fisk is mayor and – “

“Hey – breathe Red.”

Matt slammed the coffee mug onto the table before taking a breath and sitting back down opposite Frank.

“How d’you know to find me anyways?” he asked as Frank started sipping on his coffee.

“I was gonna call, but my contacts had disappeared. I checked the news to see where you’d been but… yeah, y’know… So I just came here.” He explained.

“The same thing happened to my contacts. But that doesn’t explain how you knew I was alive in the first place.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, no... I don’t know, Frank” Matt sighed again and rested his head in his arms. This was too much, and worst of all, his headache _still_ hadn’t gone. His whole body ached, especially after having shards of glass stuck in his back just moments ago.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, getting up from the table again. “You can stay if you want”

Frank nodded before replying.

“You go to sleep, Red. I’m going out, ill wake you when I get back.”

“Where are you going?”  
“Out - get some supplies. You go rest; you look out of it.”

Matt stopped a minute and took in the man in front of him. Frank’s heartbeat was slower now, and his breathing too, but Matt could smell the blood on his back from the glass and he reminded himself that Frank was hurt too, and it was because of Matt. Why was he here? Why did he bother looking for Matt? He would have asked Frank but instead he gave into exhaustion and just nodded before heading into his bedroom and collapsing onto the bed.

Sleep came easily, still dark, empty and dreamless.


	2. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Frank find out more about their current situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologise for my excessive use of ellipses but idk why i like using them so much

Friday.

9:20 am

Frank made sure Murdock was asleep before going to check his supplies. He had only been to the apartment twice before, once in secret, and once when Matt had patched him up after a particularly nasty fight. If his memory served him correctly, the medical supplies would be in the bathroom.

The bathroom tiles were cracked and old and the place porcelain sink was chipped. Frank walked over to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the water run for a second before splashing it over his face. It wasn’t refreshing.

Looking up, he came to face his own reflection. It had been a long time since Frank had looked at himself. He had changed; his nose was crooked and his stare was hard. This was a different man. Snapping his eyes away from the mirror, Frank turned off the tap and reached under the sink, glad to find the med kit was still there. Opening it, however, he came to find it empty.

9:25 am

The fridge was also empty - guess he would have to do the shopping as well, it’s not like Murdock was going to; the man had a concerning lack of self-preservation skills, despite basically being a ninja.

Making a note of everything he needed to get, Frank headed out.

9:42 am

The shops were not particularly busy at this time of the day, so Frank managed to get all the food and first aid supplies fairly quickly. He was walking back to Matt’s apartment, two plastic carrier bags in hand, when he realised he should probably grab some equipment from his safe houses. This might take a while to figure out, and it would be much more convenient if they worked from one place, and knowing how fussy Red was with his silk sheets, Frank thought it best if it was in Murdock’s apartment.

Frank had three safe houses in New York. The first, his main one, was where he woke up this morning, with a massive headache and no memory of last night, except that he had planned to meet Matt the day before. He had assumed something had happened on patrol that Murdock could explain to him, but then he found his contacts empty and Matt… well, all this was either a very weird dream, or Matt had pissed off some magical alien (it wasn’t impossible, after all, the avengers had faced similar threats before.)

Frank wished it were a dream. In all his time fighting on the streets, Frank had gained a weird sort of respect for The Devil, and having 20 years of your life disappear from the world’s memory? Was not the nicest thing.

His second safe house was the one he had shared with David, back when they were trying to stop Rawlins. Frank still used it from time to time, though it was probably the least well-kept one (Frank blamed David for that, it was _his_ safe house to begin with).

The third was a smaller version of his main one, and was mainly used for keeping his guns and ammo.

Getting into his car, Frank threw the bags into the back and started driving. The rain started to fall as he drove. By the time he arrived at the safe house, it was pouring.

10:13 am

The large bag full of equipment was slung over his shoulder as he left the safe house. He’d grabbed most of what he considered essential: guns, clothes, and some back up phones. He decided it best of he dropped everything off at Matt’s place before heading to the second safe hosue. He got back into the car when his phone started ringing.

U n k n o w n N u m b e r

That was weird. His phone had been blank, empty this morning, who could be calling him now? He picked up his phone and let it ring in his hand for a moment before answering it.

“Hello?”

“Frank… it’s me, Matt”  
“How the hell d’you get my number Murdock? Thought your phone was wiped clean,”

“I memorised some of the numbers in my phone a while ago, in case of emergencies.” Fair enough “look, you need to come back here _now_ , it’s important,”

“What is it?”

“Better if I explain in person – be quick” then the call ended. Frank held onto the phone for a little longer before stuffing it in his pocket and starting the engine.

‘Be quick’… even when the world had gone to sh*t, Murdock was still as bossy as always.

10:31 am

It had stopped raining by the time Frank got back to the apartment. Matt was sat at the table as he entered and he was evidently concerned. Dumping the groceries and equipment in the kitchen, Frank went over to join Matt at the table. The man had his laptop out in front of him and was reading something in braille. He had changed into more casual clothes; a pair of jeans and a shirt that showed his surprisingly toned muscles. He was also still wearing those ridiculous red glasses. Why was he wearing them? It’s not like Frank hadn’t seen his eyes before. Frank pushed the thoughts away, reminding himself to focus on what was going on.

“So… what’s the emergency?” he asked coolly. Matt sighed, not bothering to turning his head to face Frank as he spoke.

“So I decided to do some research while you were out- “

“You didn’t get any sleep?”

“I _did_ , but after I woke up, I did some research, on _you_... because it can’t have been a coincidence that you knew I was alive, so-“

“Get to the point Red”

“Okay – you’re dead.”

“And this is hell? Makes sense: you’re here”

“ _No_ , I mean you died about 15 years ago.”

Frank had expected this, but that didn’t stop him from being surprised (Think the opposite of the _disappointed but not surprised_ meme).

“How?” he asked, and he cursed himself for the fear in his voice.

“First time you were deployed, says you were killed on the battle field.”

F*ck. That meant –

“Rawlins… that son of a b*tch is still alive” Frank stood up and slammed his fist onto the table, “F*CK! This – _f*ck_ – I spent _years_ getting all of those assholes to pay for what they did, and the next day, they get to live?! F*ck this Red! This – this _magical bullsh*t!”_ he was shouting now, engulfed in rage. He started marching towards the door, no idea of his destination, only that he was leaving, until Matt grabbed onto his arm.

“ _Let go of me Red_ ” he growled, but Matt didn’t move.

“Frank, sit down, I’m not done.” Matt spoke calmly.

“Oh yeah? What else could you possibly tell me, Red, huh?”

“Frank, _sit. Down_.”

Frank ripped himself from Matt's hold, standing there to glare at the man, ignoring the fact that he could not see it. The red lenses stared back at him, emotionless and empty; nothing like Matts eyes underneath. The lenses mocked him, but he knew the man underneath did not, so eventually he gave in and sat down again.

“Just – whatever I tell you, promise me you won’t storm off.”

“Just tell me Murdock” he was getting impatient.

“Your family’s alive,” And suddenly, Frank forgot how to breathe, all he could do was listen. “Your wife, your daughter... Not your son, he never… he never got a chance to be born, but the rest, they lived. You died and they… they lived on.”

They lived on. They lived.

“They’re alive,” his voice was weak, “Maria? Lisa?” Matt nodded. Frank felt his trigger finger twitch, felt his heartbeat start pounding. The rage drowned in the tears that fell. It hit him so suddenly; his family was _alive._

He heard himself let out a sob, but it sounded as though it was coming from someone else.

_His family was alive._

He tasted salt on his lips.

_His family was alive._

Then, he felt an arm around his shoulders; he felt his hand guide his head into a solid chest. He felt the same hand then rub his back, up and down and up and down. And then the breaths came a little easier, in and out and in and out.

Matt Murdock was comforting him. It was a weird experience, but not one he hated. As he calmed down and the sound of blood rushing in his ears faded away, he heard the man whisper into his skull.

“I promise you’ll see them again Frank”

Strangely, Frank believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i have already planned far ahead for this fic, and David should be showing up by chapter 4, though i still cant decide if i should add elektra in this or not. anyways, hope u enjoyed and thnx for all the kudos :)


	3. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Frank go and check on Frank's safe house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i wanted to say thanks again for all the kudos and comments!

Saturday.

3:00 am

Any normal Saturday and he would be asleep, or just getting back from a night of roaming the city at night, but he couldn’t sleep, not properly, and not for long.

Frank fell asleep hours ago, just after dinner. They had takeout and ate over open laptops and research. They were both acting as though this was _normal_ , and they could _handle_ this. Matt knew they couldn’t. Hours and hours of research and yet they still could not find anything to tell them if this was real, or just some mass hallucination. They were clueless, and the more Matt researched, the more he began to doubt himself; maybe the rest of the world was right, maybe they _had_ died years ago. It wouldn’t make sense but nothing really did right now.

Matt sat up abruptly in his bed. He was getting nowhere thinking about this, he couldn’t even get a proper night’s sleep. He needed to get out of here. Sneaking past Frank, who was asleep on the couch, Matt went out onto the roof. Cold air was always good for clearing his mind.

The concrete was cold and hard but Matt ignored it, letting his thoughts drift to the man asleep in his couch. Frank was still here, much to Matt’s surprise. He hadn’t stormed off to find his family or left Matt to work through this madness on his own. It was unusual, but nice to see that he could rely on the man not to abandon him on short notice.

They had agreed to get all supplies before visiting the previously dead, just in case of emergencies.

Matt thoughts back to when he held the ex-marine in his arms as he cried for his family, and then he thought back to all those months ago, when Frank had bared his soul to Matt in that grave yard. Frank trusted him. And, he realised, he trusted Frank too.

Matt noticed Frank’s breathing pattern change as he woke up, and a few seconds later, he heard footsteps coming up the steps to the roof.

“Nice to see you up early Red,” Frank took as seat next to him on the concrete, letting their thighs press together, creating a sudden warmth reminded Matt of how cold the roof actually was.

“Early bird catches the worm”

“And what worm are you tryna catch?”

Matt took a moment to think before handing his head and letting his shoulders droop. He really needed some sleep.

“…Fisk is mayor. All the people you killed, they’re alive. All the work I, we, put into this city… it’s all gone. So many people have lost justice... and their lives. I keep thinking this is all fake, or a trick, a dream, because how can the world be _this wrong_? But the more I read. The more I realise this is real… and then I start to think that maybe this is just how the world is…”

“Shut up,” Matt was taken back by Frank’s tone, but listened. “Just – shut up, Red. This isn’t how the world is supposed to be. We’ve seen the world- the real world, and it sure as hell aint this nightmare. Don’t get me wrong, the real world’s f*cked up too, but it was better than this. I _know_ this is wrong, you wanna know how? Because I know you, Red, and I know you wouldn’t go out without one _hell_ of a fight. Something’s wrong and were gonna find out what it is, and then we’re gonna fix it.” Pure determination came from Frank’s voice. “Now get some sleep before I have to knock you out myself.”

8:06 am

Matt woke up to the smell of pancakes. He could hear Frank cooking them as he got out of the bedroom.

“Morning,” he said “Smells nice.” He sat down as the table as Frank placed a plate in front of him. Matt took in a deep breath of the warm smell and smiled. The whole morning was oddly domestic. Matt dug into his pancakes with vigour and he heard Frank chuckle at his enthusiasm.

“Didn’t know you liked pancakes Red”

“Who doesn’t?” he replied with a mouth half full of pancake.

“You should see your bed head, it’s ridiculous,”

“Ill take your word for it,”  
Frank took a seat next to him and the two ate breakfast together before Matt got up and went back into his room to change.

Sorting through his clothes, Matt stopped a moment and hesitated before crouching down to open the large brown chest he kept hidden at the bottom of his closet. He ran his fingers along the metal rim of the lid, feeling the familiar indentations before pushing it up and throwing his hand inside.

The suit wasn’t there.

However, there was something else: silk robes. His dad’s. he remembered them clearly, despite not having seen them for years; bright yellow and red. The colours clashed boldly. People called him the Man without Fear, but for Matt, that had always been his dad.

His dad. Jack Murdock, the boxer with the blind son. Except here he was the boxer who lost his son. Here, Matt hadn’t been in his life after that day… which meant that his dad hadn’t won that game for him, which meant… he could still be alive.

“The hell is taking you so long Red? We got places to go, hurry up!” Franks voice came from outside the bedroom, making Matt jump and slam the lid shut. Getting up, he ignored Frank’s complaints and the millions of thoughts running through his head and got changed. He would have to figure this out later. 

8:52 am

Frank’s car was messy and stank of blood, but that was not surprising. They had been driving in silence towards Frank’s second safe house and Matt was getting bored. He rarely drove anywhere, mainly because he couldn’t, but also because he preferred walking. Even Foggy barely ever drove him to work (when he _did_ work, when Foggy _knew who he was_ ). Walking was unrestricted, it allowed freedom for his senses and he never felt cut off from the world. the car, however, just left him with constant buzzing in his ear. So, instead of letting it drive him insane, Matt focused on Frank, trying to learn as much as he could about the man using his senses. he already knew a lot about Frank; his past, his present, his personality. They had worked together before, not too frequently, but just enough to know each other’s strategies and skills. In fact, Matt remembered now that he was supposed to meet up with Frank on the night that was missing from his memory. Whether they did or didn’t meet up was a mystery to both of them.

“You’re extra quiet today” Frank spoke, finally breaking the silence.

“Why d’you say that?”

“You’re usually a lot more chatty, must be a lawyer thing… it got something to do with why you were taking so long to get ready?”

Frank had once told Matt that the two of them were very alike. Matt usually refused to acknowledge it, but right here, right now, he couldn’t. Frank could read people just as well as Matt could. It was impressive, considering he couldn’t hear their heart beats or their breathing, or every minuscule movement a person made that could give away their next move, no, Frank did it without all that. He could tell when someone was going for the kill shot, or just trying to main. He could tell where a punch would land, and how hard. And he could, apparently, tell when something was troubling Matt.

That didn’t stop Matt from trying to hide it though.

“Yeah, - uh, my suit, it’s gone” it wasn’t a _lie_ , just an evasion of the truth.

“Weird.”

“Not really.”

Frank was quiet for the rest of the ride, and Matt had a feeling he knew Matt wasn’t telling the whole truth.

9:04 am

They pulled up by a small group of cheap apartments and Matt was more than happy when they got out of the car.

“This is it?” he asked.

“Bottom floor, yeah… not as fancy as yours but it gets the job done”

They walked inside, Matt following Frank. He hadn’t bothered bringing his cane, best not to attract any unnecessary attention. Reaching the door, Frank pulled out a key and tried to unlock it, but Matt could hear the key failing to open the lock’s mechanisms.

“Huh… weird, it should work” Frank said nonchalantly, but his heartbeat indicated that this was a lot more worrying than he had let on.

“Here, let me try.” He said as he went over to the door and pulled a small pin out of his pocket before using it to open the door. Enhanced hearing was useful for a lot for things, including locks.

The door softly clicked and Matt pushed it open as he walked inside. But something was wrong.

Frank, after seeing the inside of the room, had stopped in the doorway.

“F*ck”

The room was empty. The safe house wasn’t there.


	4. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not posting in so long, i had a bit of writers block but im back! although i dont know when i will get another chapter out as things are going a little slow right now. anyways, enjoy!

Saturday

9:10 am

Bare walls and cracked wooden floorboards; the room was empty. Frank should have expected this, but he had foolishly chosen to cling to the hope that it would all still be there. It had been a stupid thing to do.

“It’s gone,” Murdock said from inside.

“No sh*t Sherlock”

“But that doesn’t make sense… why is my apartment still here but your place isn’t?”

Frank didn’t bother replying; it’s not like he knew the answer. Silently, he walked back to the car and Matt followed. The silence lasted the whole drive back.

9:42 am

Once they arrived back at the apartment, Matt immediately offered Frank some coffee, to which he agreed, though it was going to take a lot more than just coffee to fix all this. But coffee helped. Matt placed the mug in front of him and Frank picked it up, taking a sip and forcing himself to focus on the bitter taste.

Then, Matt came and sat down next to him on the couch.

“How’s your back?” he asked, and Frank was reminded of the tiny holes left all over his back from the shards of glass. He had forgotten about them, too busy preoccupied with everything else, but now that Matt mentioned it, it did still sting a little.

“Better… you?”

“Fine… what now then?”

“I dunno Red, not like I’m an expert at these kinds of things”

“We could go and visit your family,”

Frank let the silence answer for him. It’s not that he didn’t want to see his family, he _did,_ more than anything, but the idea made him anxious. What if things were different? What if this Maria wasn’t _his_ Maria? And then there was the fact that they believed him to be dead.

Frank got up off the couch and went to put the empty mug in the sink. When he turned around, Matt was behind him.

“What d’you want, Red?” he growled, though it sounded weak.

“I know this is messed up… but we can’t just sit around doing nothing just because we don’t know what’s going on,”

“What do you want me to do Red? The safe house was empty, your suit is gone, my family… sh*t Red, they’re alive. My wife, my baby girl. I could see them again…”  
“But?” Matt placed his hand on Frank’s arm gently, but Frank shrugged it off, walking back to the couch. Sitting down, he let his head hang low.

“They’re not my family, Red, not if I’ve been dead that long. Lisa, she’d be all grown up now, and Maria… I don’t even know Red.” He spoked in a broken voice as Matt came and sat across from him.

“They’re still your family Frank, even if they’re different. It’s the closest you’re ever going to get to see them again.”

“I _do_ want to see them Red.”

“Well… you have a chance, don’t waste it,”

“You speakin’ from experience?”  
“Frank, my whole _life_ has been made up of wasted chances and wrong moves,”

“Bullsh*t. Never seen you make a wrong move”

“I thought you believed I should be ‘finishing the job’ and killing people?” Matt responded with a small smile.

“Yeah, but I let that slide,”

“You _let it slide_? Y’know I could very easily kick your ass if I wanted to.”

“Really? Cuz I wasn’t the once chained up when we met,”

The conversation turned light as they continued to playfully argue until they agreed to disagree.

“So… we going to go see your family then?”

Frank sighed as Matt brought the conversation back to the dreaded topic.

“Fine. Yeah. But I can’t go meet them Red. They think I’m dead – it’s better that way.”

“But-“

“I’m not saying I don’t want to _see_ them thought.”

“So what, you’re gonna spy on them?”

“Something like that, yeah. And I think I might still have a friend who can help us out with it.”

10:56 am

David’s safe house wasn’t easy to get into; it had cameras at every turn at passwords for each door. It was pure luck that the passwords Frank knew from his time with David still worked. Matt was also useful, being able to tell what was behind each door. He had insisted on coming with Frank, despite not having any armour, which meant that he had come dressed in plain black clothes and a stupid scarf around his head. Frank had preferred the red suit; it looked more Daredevil and less Dork In A Sweater.

They were going the last set of doors when the alarm went off.

“Sh*t” he cursed as the doors behind them shut and a voice started speaking over the crappy speakers.

“Who the hell are you two and how did you get in here?” David still spoke in the same slightly nervous tone as when Frank had first met him, but that didn’t fool Frank. He may have been anxious, seeming as two strangers had gotten past his security, but David _certainly_ had ways of stopping them right there if he wanted.

Frank help his hands up in surrender and nudged Matt to do the same. Once both their hands were up, Frank spoke.

“My name is Frank Castle – this is Ma- Daredevil.”

A pause, then.

“You died. You’re dead, how’re you here?”

“That’s what we’re here about… we just wanna talk.” Frank kept his voice low and steady.

“Tell your guy to take his mask off, then I’ll let you in.”

Frank nudged Matt again, but Matt hesitated.

“Frank, are you sure we can trust-“

“ _Yes_. Just do it Red. If you don’t trust him, then trust me. Now just hurry up.”

Matt slowly brought up his hands and untied the scarf, taking it off and dropping it on the floor before holding his hands up again. Just as he did so, the doors in front of them opened. Dropping his hands to his sides, Frank walked through with Matt behind him. Frank was relieved to see the place hadn’t changed at all inside. It was still the same crappy safe house that stank of sh*t and was full of computers and David’s rolling chair. It was the closest thing he had to home right now.

“Don’t try anything funny” David warned as they came closer. He looked almost the same, except the bags under his eyes were bigger and his hair was slightly more long and unruly.

“We know” Matt said.

“You know who I am?” David asked warily.

“Yeah, David Lieberman – don’t ask how we know, it’s complicated. We just need some help.” Frank hoped he didn’t have to explain it all to David; it sounded weird enough in his head, he didn’t need to keep saying it out loud.

“Help?”

Matt went on to explain. “We need you to hack into some security cameras,”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“Don’t,” Frank said “But if you help, we can give you the names of the people who are trying to kill you… and who can stop them.”

“How do you-“

“I told you, it’s a long story, but we’re not your enemy.”

David was quiet, contemplating his choice, before finally answering.

“Okay- but you better not screw me over.”

“Never.”

David nodded and walked over to his computer. Frank went to follow him but was stopped by Matt’s hand holding him back.

“We can’t help him for long, you know.” He said in a hushed voice.

“I know Red.”

“Yeah, but frank, figuring this mess out is priority. I know you’re mad that these criminals lived after… everything, but don’t get distracted.”

Matt spoke quietly but sternly, but Frank also heard a hint of concern in his voice. Frank looked over to David. The man had been through so much with Frank, and now… now all his suffering had just been extended. Because _he_ had not been there.

“Don’t worry Red, I don’t get distracted that easily.”


	5. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt goes to visit Franks family

Sunday

8:15 am

This time, Matt was in the kitchen whilst Frank slept on the couch. He was surprised to see that he had woken up before the ex-marine, but took the opportunity to have nice long shower before making breakfast. His hair was still wet as eggs sizzled in the pan and the smell of bacon filled the apartment. Frank would wake up any moment now. They had spent most of yesterday discussing and planning their visit to Maria Castle’s house. Well… more like Matt’s visit. They had decided that Matt would go in to find out more about Frank’s death, whilst Frank would watch from the security cameras David had hacked into, as well as a hidden camera they had attached to Matt’s glasses. He felt very much like a spy on a mission, and he had to admit, the feeling was kind of cool. However, it was also a far too elaborate and unnecessary plan, in Matt’s opinion, but Frank insisted that it was the safest way for him to ‘see’ his family. Letting them know he was alive would not only be awkward and hard to explain, but also risky.

Just as Matt finished making the eggs, Frank woke up, as though he had sensed it was time to eat.

“Morning” Matt said as he heard Frank sit up. His stiff bones cracked loudly as the man stretched before walking over to the table.

“Mornin’ Red – sleep well?”

“Better than you by the sound of it.” He replied, placing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I can hear your bones cracking every time you move. Y’know, if the sofa is uncomfortable, the bed’s always big enough for the two of us.” As soon as he said it, he regretted it. What was he thinking? Matt heard a blush rise in Frank’s face, and that made his own cheeks heat up too. _What had he been thinking?!_

“Couch’s fine, Red.” Frank said quietly before busying himself with eating breakfast. Matt did the same.

“You’re not a bad cook Red,” Frank said out of nowhere. “Someone teach you? Or is it just cuz of your super nose?”

Matt grinned at the phrase ‘super nose’ before replying.

“I actually taught myself back when I was 10. My dad and me were usually low on cash so we had to make do with whatever we had at home.” He told Frank, smiling at the memories of him and his dad.

“Sounds like you were close,”

“We were, though he had to spend a lot of nights at work – he was a boxer.”

“Well, that explains the whole Devil of Hell’s Kitchen thing.” Frank said with amusement in his tone. “He ever find out about it?”

“He never got the chance – died when I was 11”

“He sounds like a good dad,” sincerity leaked from Frank’s voice, no pity. It was refreshing. “Sure as hell better than mine.”

“You weren’t close to yours?”

“He was an asshole, didn’t care about me, what I did, or his wife, only himself… selfish bastard,” Frank sighed, “I always swore that I’d never be like him, y’know? I swore I would be there for Lisa and Jr, and Maria. And I tried, Red, every moment I got I spent it with them. But I still couldn’t protect them, stop them from dying.” Frank sounded angry, pissed, but also quiet and vulnerable. “And now they’re here again – and I wasn’t there for them Red, _I_ was the one who died… and let them down, _again_.”

“No. Frank, it wasn’t you. The Frank who died _isn’t_ you.” Matt spoke with determination, not only hoping to convince Frank, but also himself. “You have _never_ let down your family.”

Frank was quiet, and Matt sensed, hoped, that maybe he’d gotten through to him.

2:13 pm

“Is the camera working?”

“Yup, just try not to move the glasses around too much” David’s voice came from the small earpiece he had on.

“Got it, security cameras fine?”

“Yeah we got eyes on you Red,” Frank replied, “Don’t forget the cover story.”

“Shut up, the bells ringing now” he hissed as he heard a pair of footsteps unlock the door. Matt stood straight, cane in hand and glasses pushed up his nose as the door opened.

“Hello?” the voice was soft and fuller than he had expected.

“Maria Castle?” he asked, putting on his Lawyer Voice.

“Yes…”

Matt smiled at the woman in front of his, trying to ignore Frank’s sharp intake of breath that he could hear.

“I’m Matt… I was a friend of Frank’s; I don’t know if he ever mentioned me?”

“No, sorry, he didn’t… how did you two know each other?”

“College, we met in college… I just recently hear about his death and wanted to give my condolences,”

Maria nodded and then, noticing Matt’s glasses, said a quick thanks.

“Do you mind if I ask… what was he like before he passed? I only knew him for a few years.”

Maria hesitated for a moment and Matt could hear the increase in her heart rate.

“Why don’t you come inside, I have another one of Frank’s old friends over, maybe you know each other.”

_Another friend?_

“Sh*t” Franks voice came in his ear, clearly distressed.

“Uh, yes I’d love to.” Matt replied, ignoring Frank’s rambling, but as soon as he said it –

“F*ck no! Red – the f*ck are you doing? Get outta there _now_ ”

Matt ignored him; whatever he was getting into, he could handle it. Getting any information was more important. Giving Frank a chance to see his family alive was more important. Matt walked inside to be greeted by a tall man. He stood like a soldier, so had clearly severed alongside Frank, except he held out his hand like a businessman, and the strong smells of expensive cologne lead Matt to believe that some wealth was involved. Matt ignored the hand until the other man finally spoke up.

“Billy Russo – I was a friend of Frank’s”


	6. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry i know this chapter is a lot shorter than normal, but it felt like a good idea to end it where I did. Also sorry if there’s lots of typos, I usually do this on my computer but I’m doing it on my tablet this time.  
> Anyways enjoy!

“I was a friend of Frank’s” 

No. He was a traitor. He was a f*cking traitor that should be in a hospital bed with bandages masking his face, not  anywhere near Frank’s family. Never again. 

Frank seethed as he saw the man - no, the monster - through the screen in front of him. The face of Billy Russo mocked him, reminding him of yet another failed mission. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse. 

“I don’t think Frank ever mentioned you,” came Russo’s voice from Matt’s side. 

“ we were friends a very long time ago, I doubt he remembered me” Matt was still calm, playing it cool. If Frank wasn’t filled with rage, he would have been impressed. 

Then, Maria came back in and they sat down and started talking, thought the tension hung. Frank was barely listening. 

When he had first seen Maria’s face again, he had forgotten how beautiful she was, but now, all he could think of was how that traitorous man had made his way back into his home. How  he was with Frank’s family, when Frank had to watch over a crappy camera and mic. 

Why was he there? What was he planning? Because Billy Russo didn’t hang out with people unless they were useful to him. What was he going to do to Maria? To Lisa? .... to Matt? Because from the moment Matt had entered, Russo’s stare hadn’t left him. He knew something was up. 

Snapping back into action, Frank grabbed the mic and, trying to keep his voice steady, spoke to Matt. 

“Red, get the hell outta there” 

No response. The lawyer didn’t even move. 

“Red, I swear to god you better get the  hell outta there or I’m comin’ in” 

Still no response from Matt. 

“F*ck this - he’s not listening, I’m going out there” he said to David, grabbing his coat and gun. 

“Hey! Hey no wait” David shouted from behind him, but Frank ignored him. Until he heard the young girls voice come from the speaker. 

“Mum? Who’s this?” Lisa. It was Lisa. Frank turned to face the screen again. 

She was older now, almost a teenager, but she still had the same toothy smile and bright eyes as she greeted Matt. Still the same brown hair and innocence. She was still his daughter, and she was the most beautiful thing he had seen in years. 

Putting down his gun, Frank picked up the mic and tried again, one more time. 

“Red... please. Get Russo to follow you, get him out of there, please.” His eyes were fixated on the screen as he spoke, and he had a feeling that Matt understood. A few seconds later, the camera moved shakily as Matt stood up. 

“I’m sorry Mrs Castle, this has been great, but I really have to go now, work to get done. It was lovely to meet you though.” As he held out his hand and shook it with Maria’s, Russo stood close bedside him. He said goodbye and sure enough, Russo followed. 

“I should be going now too Maria” he said giving her a smile that Frank hated with his whole being. As they both left, Russo spoke up again.

“Looks like we’re going the same way,” liar.

Matt nodded and kept walking, Russo next to him, until they were a few blocks away from the house and then suddenly, Matt stoped. 

“David - security camera” Frank supplied, and David instantly pulled up the video from the closes camera on the street next to Matt, showing the two men. Russo had grabbed onto Matt’s arm and was holding it with a firm grip. 

Frank listened to what he was saying.

“I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing, but I know you’re no college friend of Frank’s. you better stay out of this or it won’t end well for you.” He whispered the last part threateningly, but Matt didn’t move or change his poker face. 

Eventually, Russo let go and walked off, and then Matt was alone. 

“Track him,” Frank demanded, “Lieberman, track him, I’m going after him.” 

Turns out Matt had heard him.

“No, Frank we cant go after him, he already suspects something’s up,” 

“F*ck you Red, I told you to get outta there ages ago and you didn’t listen.” 

“I  did listen.  I followed your plan,  I went to find David with you,  i went to see your family,  I let Russo follow me. Now it’s time  you listen to  _me_ . We’re  not going after him.” 

“Yeah,  we’re not,  I am.” He grabbed his gun again and glared at the screen.

“Frank, no! We have bigger things to worry about.”

“This is about my  family , Red. He- he betrayed me, and  them.  I’m going after him.” 

“If we fix everything else, this will fix itself! He’ll get whatever punishment you provided him.” Matt hissed as he continued walking back to the apartment. 

Frank didn’t reply, instead, he threw a piece of paper towards a silent David.

“There are the names, go to agent Madani, she can help...” he said before heading out.

He ignored Matt’s calls as he got into his car and drove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank everyone who’s commented and kudos this work, even if I don’t reply to each comment I really appreciate them all


	7. Sunday

Sunday

5:23 pm

He called ten times before he gave up. Frank wasn’t answering. He wasn’t worried… why should he be? He should have expected this. Everyone left eventually, for one reason or another. He could work on his own, he had been doing it for years. Their trip hadn’t done much to help them get any more information, but Matt wouldn’t give up that quickly. Matt got out his laptop again and tried doing some more research, thinking of all the magical and alien threats the world had seen over the past few years, trying to see if there was any connection.

He didn’t find anything.

And then there was Fisk, who was ruling the city, just like in Matt’s worst nightmares.

6:42 pm

Dinner was small. Matt ate leftovers of yesterday’s takeout, not bothered to cook a proper meal, despite the fact that his fridge was almost full for once. Matt had been confused to find the fridge full on Friday, until he realised that Frank had done the shopping. The gesture, whilst not unappreciated, had been surprising. He would have to do his own shopping now, he thought.

10:23 pm

Matt decided to have an early night; it had been a long day and tomorrow would be longer. He got changed and into bed, the silk sheets wrapped around him. He didn’t fall asleep though, he just lay there listening.

Police sirens, people walking home, the smell of cigarettes and drugs – the city stank. Matt shuffled under the covers trying to cut off all the smells and sounds but he couldn’t. he heard children crying, a man smoking in an alley, drunken teens and policemen shouting. The world was too loud.

11:59 pm

He was finally on the verge of sleep when he heard the front door open. Immediately he was awake and prepared to jump out of bed until he recognised the heartbeat, the footsteps, the strong smell of gunpowder. It was Frank.

He had come back.

Relief flooded through Matt; he wasn’t alone. As Matt focused his senses, he noticed that amongst the many smells on Frank, blood wasn’t one of them. He hadn’t killed Russo. Instead, there was the smell of petrol lingering on the man.

Matt heard him kick off his boots and drop his coat on the couch before sitting down. A moment later, he got up and walked into Matt’s bedroom. The man slowly pushed open the door and stood there. Matt didn’t bother opening his eyes. A sight came from Frank as he walked inside and shut the door behind him. Matt felt the mattress dip to his right as Frank sat down on the empty side. They were both silent. Whether Frank knew Matt was awake or not didn’t matter in that moment, as he slowly laid down on top of the covers, his back facing Matt’s.

It wasn’t an apology, but he had come back, and that was good enough for Matt.

Matt let a small smile linger on his lips.

He wasn’t alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that the last two chapters have been quite short but i promise the next one will be slightly longer. hope u enjoyed :)


	8. A/N

hello. 

So firstly I wanted to thank everyone who read this and everyone who left comments and kudos. thank you so so much, but unfortunately, I've decided that I wont be continuing this story. I mainly decided this as I will be starting school again soon and so I doubt I would get time to finish this. As well as that, I am not enjoying writing this as much as I did at the start.   
I'm sorry that i wont be continuing this, but i might in the future decide to re write this fic, if the time is right. 

thank you so much for reading

**Author's Note:**

> this was an idea that i had been playing around with in my head for a long time, and im so happy i finally managed to write some of it. hope you enjoyed reading it too!


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